These were my thoughts on Tuesday afternoon, hanging up the phone after an interview with Exene Cervenka.

Exene Cervenka on “Somewhere Gone,” her 2009 solo album: “I wanted to make sure people would understand the words. I wanted the pretty, haunting kind of melodies that would support the words.”And that’s a real shame, because the fierce punk priestess, author and visual artist obviously has some compelling stories to tell.

Even if she prefers not to dwell on X, the band Cervenka founded in Los Angeles during the 1970s with John Doe, she’s forged a compelling solo career that’s multi-faceted and experimental.

If she chose to, Cervenka might talk about the book series she developed with a kindred spirit, singer and poet Lydia Lunch. Or her collage exhibits, which erupt with calligraphy, photos, and funky found objects.

Or the time she spent at a 175-year-old Missouri farmhouse, getting domestic and working on a solo album, "Somewhere Gone." There’s her 2009 diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, and the impact it’s had on her life and career.

Cervenka could discuss her recent decision to return to California. Her Christmas shows with X. Her side projects with the Knitters and the Original Sinners. Her spoken-word shows with Henry Rollins.

Or how about her marriages to three equally creative types: Doe, actor Viggo Mortensen and guitarist Jason Edge? Finally, she might explain her unique fashion sense, which seems to combine Suzy Homemaker with "Sweeney Todd."

Sadly, Cervenka offered little, if any, illumination on such topics. Her voice was friendly but curt, and she was not inclined to elaborate. Looking at the notes I scribbled during our telephone encounter, I see things such as "yes," "no," "feeling great," "everybody’s got something," "Orange County" and "not in a significant way."

Perhaps I caught her on a bad day. Maybe she’s an intensely private person. Another possible reason: At age 53, Cervenka’s over all this chatter with reporters.

She did mention that her Sunday concert at Birmingham’s Bottletree would feature her four-piece band, the California Mothership. She also noted that no X material would be included on the set list.

When I asked why she’d chosen to craft a written statement about her MS in June, announcing her illness to the public, Cervenka became slightly more eloquent.

"I had to tell so many people I work with," she said. "It wouldn’t have stayed a secret for long. People would be asking, ‘What’s wrong with you?’"